


Invisible

by SunnyInOregon



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Comedy, Costume Party, F/M, Halloween, Humor, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:14:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27179071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyInOregon/pseuds/SunnyInOregon
Summary: When Penelope gets tired of Dave acting like she’s invisible, she takes a desperate step to show him how it feels. However, with Dave, things never turn out as planned. A Halloween Comedy with the entire BAU
Relationships: Penelope Garcia/David Rossi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

New Orleans, LA. – October 1st

Penelope Garcia and Spencer Reid wander down the well-worn street gazing into shop windows. Each carrying a large cup of coffee from a local café.

“I just get frustrated with him sometimes,” Penelope sighs.

“Why don’t you tell him,” Reid asks. “You know he likes the direct approach.”

“I’ve tried but it’s like I am invisible. He gets so focused on one thing that he forgets that I am around,” she continues. “I wish there was some way I could make him understand how I feel.”

“The only way that’s going to happen is if you can somehow make him experience what you go through,” Reid counters. He sips at his coffee. “What is that?”

Penelope looks in the direction that the younger man is now pointing. A large, oddly shaped building squats between the French inspired architecture on the street. Even though it is so unlike the other buildings it seems to blend into the surrounding. 

“Let’s check it out,” Penelope whispers. They cross the street, in a zombie like trance and stop outside the building. Faded letters on the wooden front door announce the place as Calypso’s. A name as cryptic as the building.

Curious, they peek through the window. A smiling older woman waves them to enter.

“This looks interesting,” Penelope muses. 

The door opens as they step onto the porch, the smell of freshly baked cookies wafts in the air,   
music plays softly, several candles flicker, dancing to the beat of the music. 

“Welcome,” the woman says with a smile. Her voice is smooth as silk and rich with the accent of her Creole ancestors. “I am Calypso. I can make your every wish come true. I can tell you are a troubled woman, who needs my help. Tell Calypso what you need, and I will make it happen.”

“Can you make my boyfriend realize that I am not invisible,” Pen asks.

“Ah,” the old woman nods knowingly. “He takes you for granted.”

“No. Sometimes it’s like he looks right through me, like I am not even there. I’d like him to know what that feels like,” Pen explains.

Eyes narrowed, the old woman nods again. “I see,” she says. “This will take a few minutes. Read a book.” She gestures to a nearby shelf before disappearing into a back room.

Penelope wanders around the room as Reid walks to the shelf and peruses the books on display. A few seconds later he snorts loudly catching Penelope’s attention.

“What’s so funny,” she asks.

He holds up a book. “She has a copy of Dave’s book about cults.”

“Huh. Interesting,” Pen muses. They continue to amuse themselves for about fifteen minutes before Calypso appears again carrying a small green bottle.

“As promised, I have exactly what you need,” She hands the bottle to Penelope. “This is a very powerful elixir. Put a few drops in your lover’s drink, in a few moments he will be as invisible as you feel.”

Penelope pays the woman and takes the bottle slipping it into her purse. 

Once on the sidewalk, Reid turns to her. “You’re not really going to use that on Dave, are you?”

“Of course not,” Pen laughs. “Unless he really pisses me off! We should get back to the hotel before Hotch sends a search party after us.”

“Why wouldn’t he just call us,” Reid asks. A frown mars his face.

Penelope shakes her head and marches off to the main road as Spencer trails behind her.

***

Quantico, VA – Halloween

Dave looks in the mirror and adjusts the brim of his gray riverboat gambler hat. He had wanted to wear a black hat and suit, but Penelope had insisted on the gray. ‘Black is too formal,’ she told him at the costume shop. ‘Makes you look like you’re going to a funeral.’

He acquiesced, even though he knew that most government parties were less fun than a funeral. They had a brief argument about his facial hair. She wanted him to grow out his moustache and shave the rest of it off, to which he adamantly protested.

“You trying to make me look like a seventies porn star,” he asked.

She shakes her head. “No, I just want you to look the part.” 

“I will look the part without the porn stache,” he counters. “Been there, done that, wasn’t worth it.”

She sighs. “No one is going to know who we are.”

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”

He eyes himself carefully, taking in the suit and his goatee, everything is fine he tells himself. He grabs his wallet and keys before heading out to his car.

***

Dave wanders around the ancient house decorated with fake cobwebs, pumpkins, and other fake Halloween props, looking for Penelope. He spots what he thinks is the team, standing in a corner. He takes a moment to process their costumes. Hotch took the easy route, coming as Captain America, complete with a shield. 

JJ and Will, represented as Joker and Harley Quinn. Emily looks great as Catwoman, Dave thinks. With a chuckle, he eyes Derek’s costume, or rather lack of a costume. The man was bare-chested with bright gold, shimmery pants and slippers? Dave blinks and looks again. Okay, he thinks, Derek is either Aladdin or the Genie. With the goatee, he was betting on the Genie.

Dave approaches the group as he considers Reid’s costume. “Dr. Watson,” Dave asks as he steps up next to Reid.

“Dr. Who,” Reid replies.

“Watson,” Dave repeats. “From Sherlock Holmes.”

“I know who Watson is,” Reid says.

“Then why did you ask,” Dave questions.

“I didn’t,” Reid counters. “I’m Dr. Who.”

Dave frowns.

“He’s the main character from the show, Dr. Who on the BBC,” Emily explains. “I’m surprised Penelope hasn’t introduced you to it.”

“She may have,” Dave admits. “But I don’t remember. Speaking of Penelope, where is she?”

“You lost your girlfriend,” Emily teases.

Dave shrugs. “I don’t know where she went.”

“That’s because I just got here,” Pen cuts in as she joins the group. She glares at Dave. “Someone didn’t pick me up.”

The team turns to her and everyone stops as they take in her costume. Dark green crushed velvet with dark gold fringe and a matching belt. A black curtain rod pokes out from each shoulder.

“What the hell,” Dave mutters. “I thought we were Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara.”

The team snickers behind him.

“We are,” she replies. “I’m the Carol Burnett version of Scarlet. Which you would have known sooner if you had picked me up.”

“I thought you had a ride,” Dave responds.

“I did. You,” she growls as she steps closer, bumping his leg with the hoop that was holding the edge of her dress(?) out and pokes his chest. “You were supposed to pick me up.”

“Oh. I forgot.” Dave rubs the spot on his chest that she just jabbed with her fingernail.

Penelope continues to glare as the team chuckles. “I’m seriously considering having you checked for Alzheimer’s.”

That sends the team into a laughing frenzy. 

“Why,” Dave questions. “My memory is perfect.”

Penelope rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “I need a drink.”

“I’ll get it,” Dave replies. He ducks under the curtain rod and walks away leaving her with the team. 

“You should have called,” Emily says. “I would have picked you up.”

“It’s okay. I charged the cab ride and a VERY generous tip to Dave’s credit card,” Pen smiles.

“Good,” JJ laughs. “Penelope, if you don’t win best costume, the game is rigged. This is great.”

“I’ll second that,” Hotch chimes in.

Penelope looks around, taking in the decorations. “This place looks awesome. The Director spared little expense.”

“Probably used our raises to pay for it,” Derek mumbles. 

They continue to talk and swap Halloween stories until one by one they trickle off to talk to other people until Penelope is standing by herself. She scans the room looking for her errant boyfriend. She spots him talking to Albert Einstein, drink in hand talking with several people around as well. Rolling her eyes, she crosses the room to him. Several people duck to the left and right avoiding the ends of the curtain rod as she marches past.

She smiles at the group as she joins them. She looks pointedly at Dave’s drink. “Did you forget something,” she asks him.

He looks at his drink, then up at her. “What?”

“I’ll get my own drink,” she growls. She spins away smacking him in the shoulder and clipping his ear with the end of the curtain rod.

“Bring me another one,” he calls after her. She tosses him a look over her shoulder, but he has already turned back to his companions.

Pen crosses the room and comes to an immediate stop as she reaches the beginning of the hallway. It’s not wide enough for her to walk through normally with her costume. She turns sideways and crab walks down the hall to the kitchen where a snack station and drink bar have been established. She gives the bartender her order, and being the good girlfriend, orders a drink for Dave as well.

As she looks around the room, she watches as other couples interact with one another and sighs. She loves Dave and she knows he loves her, but he has become a real pain in the ass lately. The bartender sets the drinks in front of her and walks away. She picks hers up and takes a sip. 

A smooth Creole accented voice whispers in her ear. “Put a few drops in your lover’s drink, in a few moments he will be as invisible as you feel.”

She looks around, eyes wide. There is no one near her. Her hand touches her bag, the bottle of elixir rests inside. Surreptitiously, her hand slips into her bag and wraps around the bottle. It feels warm and pulses in her hand as if it has a heartbeat. She gulps nervously and looks around, no one notices her. It is as if she herself really were invisible.

She pulls the bottle out uncaps it and tips a few drops into Dave’s drink. If asked, she would swear she heard a satisfied sigh. Just as quickly, she recaps the bottle and slips it back into her bag.

Dave steps up and reaches around her. He places a kiss on her temple. “Thank you, Kitten.”

Before she can react, he lifts the glass to his lips and takes a drink swallowing a large portion. Penelope watches in silent horror. He notices her gaze.

“What’s the matter? You look like you saw a ghost,” he asks.

She shakes out of her shock. “You surprised me.”

He chuckles and raises his eyebrows at her. “Boo!”

She rolls her eyes. She grabs her drink and lifts it to her lips. 

“Let’s go outside,” he suggests. “I want to have a smoke.”

“Okay,” she agrees, happy that he has included her. 

He opens the door and she turns sideways to slide out onto the deck. 

“Be careful walking sideways like that,” he warns. “I don’t want you hurting yourself.”

“I didn’t think about the downside of this particular costume,” she giggles.

Dave huffs as he flicks the lighter and holds it to the end of his cigar. “I don’t remember you trying this one on at the costume store.”

“I made it myself,” she says proudly. “Finding the curtains was the hard part. Not many of these around anymore.”

“I can imagine,” he murmurs. He leads her down the deck to a more private area of the back yard. A crisp breeze blows through the yard, shuffling the leaves in the tree. “Are you cold?”

She smiles and glances back seeing only an outline of him in the dark. “No, these curtains are pretty warm.”

He raises the cigar too his lips and sucks in a breath. Penelope stares. All she sees is a hat floating in the night, Dave’s face has disappeared. She jumps, spilling her drink all over her costume.

“Oh my God,” She squeals. 

“What’s the matter?”

“You… you… oh my God! David!”

“What?” Dave responds.

“David?” she squeaks. She reaches out and touches his hand that holds the cigar. “I can feel you, but I can’t see you.”

“I’m right here. Have you gone blind?”

She shakes her head. “I can see everything but you.”

“What are you talking about,” he frowns. “This isn’t the time or place for games.”

She sets her glass down on the ground and digs into her bag. She pulls out a compact mirror, opens it and hands it to him.

Dave takes the mirror and looks into it. “WHAT THE FUCK!!!!”

“Shh,” Pen replies. She looks around, but they are alone.

“What happened to me,” he demands. “What did you do?”

“Uhh…”

“Penelope.”

She can feel his glare even though she can’t see it. “I can explain.”

“Son of a shit,” he swears as he stares into the mirror. “Am I a vampire now? This is weird. My hat is floating.”

He bobs his head up and down and around.

“Take it off,” she demands. 

“Excuse me?”

“Do you have any idea how many people you will scare if they see a floating hat walking around,” she asks.

He pauses and thinks about it. “It could be fun,” he muses.

“Not! Are you crazy?!”

“You’re the one who did this to me,” he argues. “Now fix it!”

“I don’t know how,” she admits.

She watches in fascination as the cigar and the whiskey glass dance in mid-air, knowing the man holding them was about to explode. 

“How about this,” she says quickly. “You go wait in your car and I’ll go tell the team you got sick and I’m taking you home.”

“What if I don’t want to go home?”

“Where would you rather go,” she asks.

“Nowhere,” he says with a hint of laughter in his voice. 

“David,” she says cautiously. “What are you thinking?”

He puffs on the cigar a few more times before rubbing it out in the dirt. He grabs her glass from the ground. He thrusts both glasses at her, which she takes without thinking.

She watches as the hat floats across the space between them and plops onto her head. “Don’t lose that,” he tells her.

Another breeze cuts through the trees, causing Penelope to shiver.

“It’s getting cold out here now,” she says through shattering teeth. “Let’s go home.”

“I’m going inside,” he mutters.

“No. David?”

She hears his footsteps on the stairs and rushes after him, arriving at the door as it opens. 

“Hey, close the door,” the bartender hollers at her. “It’s fucking cold.”

“I can attest to that,” Dave says as he follows her inside and closes the door. 

“Do you need a towel,” the bartender asks. He takes the glasses from her hands.

Penelope looks up to see the younger man frowning at her. “What?”

He points to her now soaked costume. “Do you need a towel?”

She looks down and takes in the mess she has made. “Yes, please.”

“Can I get another drink,” Dave asks.

The bartender grabs a towel and hands it to Penelope.

“Hello,” Dave says to the man. He snaps his fingers.

“Thank you,” Penelope smiles. She dabs at the liquid on her costume.

“Can I get you another drink?”

“Sure,” she smiles again.

“She doesn’t need a drink,” Dave growls. “She needs a lobotomy.”

Pen glares in Dave’s direction as the bartender walks away. “Do you really want to explain to him why he can’t see you?”

“You haven’t explained it to me.”

The bartender returns quickly and hands her another drink. “Thank you,” she smiles.

“How about a whiskey, neat,” Dave asks.

The bartender walks away, grabs a towel, and begins polishing a glass.

“I don’t think he heard me,” Dave mutters.

“Good,” Pen snaps. “Now you know how I feel.”

“I really am invisible,” Dave mutters. “I can’t see my hands.”

“I didn’t think it was really going to work,” Penelope whispers.

“Who are you talking to,” Hotch says as he walks up behind her.

Penelope startles and spins around. “Oh!”

Hotch jumps backwards and slams into a man behind him. “Sorry,” he mutters as he helps the man steady himself. Hotch turns back to Penelope.

“What happened to your dress,” Hotch asks. “And why are you wearing Dave’s hat?”

“I dropped my drink,” she explains.

Hotch frowns and glances around the room quickly. “Where is Dave? Strauss wants to talk to us.”

“I don’t want to talk to her,” Dave grumbles. “Did she come as the Wicked Witch of the West? I can pour some water on her.”

Hotch looks at Penelope questioningly.

“He’s around here somewhere,” she replies meekly.

“Okay,” Dave grumbles. “This isn’t funny. Hotch, can you hear me?”

“I’m going to check outside,” Hotch tells her. “You should go to the restroom and dry off.”

“That’s a good idea,” she nods.

She waits until Hotch walks outside, then panics. “Oh my God! David? What are we going to do? David?”

There’s no reply. She slowly moves around the space hoping to bump into him, but it is empty. She looks around the room in horror. David Rossi was invisible and wandering around a house full of FBI agents, what’s the worst that could happen?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Dave watches Penelope from the edge of the room. He wasn’t certain what was happening and had originally thought that she was pulling an elaborate prank on him that everyone was in on.

He looks down at himself and sees nothing but floor.

He walks out of the room and makes his way through the hallway and brushes past several women causing them to jump and turn.

“Did you feel that,” one of the women asks.

Another woman shudders and rubs her arms. “It felt like someone touched me.”

The first woman laughs. “I think our imaginations are getting crazy.”

The others laugh too. They continue down the hallway away from Dave. He watches them leave then turns back to his quest. He enters the front room, stops, and scans the interior. He spots several members of the team talking with various people.

He creeps across the room stopping behind JJ. He blows into her hair. She twitches and brushes at her hair. He blows again. She reaches up to smooth her hair and looks over her shoulder.

“JJ,” Will asks concerned. “You okay, darling?”

“Yeah,” she responds. “There must be a draft.”

Dave chuckles. He moves away from JJ to another group. He spies a side table with a couple of candles on it. He picks up one of the candles and carries it across the room. The room goes silent as everyone watches.

“What the hell,” someone says quietly.

Dave stops in the middle of the room. He spins around slowly, raising the candle up and down. He hears a gasp from across the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Penelope. Not wanting to be caught just yet, he moves to the other end of the room, sets the candle down then steps away.

He moves around the edge of the room, listening as everyone talks trying to figure out what just happened. He stands next to Penelope and leans into her shoulder.

“Looking for me?”

She screams and jumps, spilling her drink on herself again and causing everyone to look at her.

“Penelope,” JJ calls out.

“Garcia? Are you okay,” Hotch asks as he walks back into the room.

She nods and bites her lip. “I’m good.”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Emily frowns. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Penelope nods. She slowly reaches behind her to where Dave had been standing, however the space is empty.

‘This is the best party ever,’ Dave thinks as he moves around the room once again. He stops behind Morgan and reaches out; he taps twice on Derek’s shoulder and steps back.

Derek looks over his shoulder and frowns. He shakes his head and turns back to the group. Dave reaches out and taps him on the shoulder again. This time Derek swivels around quickly swinging his right arm. Dave steps back, barely getting out of the way in time.

“Morgan,” Emily questions.

“I swear someone keeps touching me,” Morgan growls.

“There is no one behind you,” Reid tells him.

“I can see that,” Derek growls. He glares at Reid.

“Don’t glare at me, I didn’t do anything,” Reid mutters.

“Weird,” Emily says as she surveys the room. Her eyes land on Penelope’s horrified face. She steps over to her friend.

Penelope looks up at Emily and blinks.

“Let me guess,” Emily says quietly. “You think ghosts are real.”

Penelope slowly moves her head back and forth. “I know they are.”

“I bet it’s some weird thing the Director asked for when he rented this place,” JJ cuts in. the other two women look over at her.

“Why do you say that,” Penelope asks.

“The candle floating across the room,” JJ snorts. “And it felt like someone was blowing on my hair. And now, with Derek? It’s got to be an illusion of some sort.”

Emily laughs. “Yeah, it’s not like the Invisible man is real.”

They start laughing. Penelope joins them uncomfortably.

***

Dave moves to another room, skirting around people. This is so freeing, he thinks, as he walks amongst the costumed partygoers. Best costume, ever. Whatever Penelope did to him, he’s now okay with it.

He spies Erin Strauss across the room. She’s all opulence and grace. He stares for a few minutes, watching her interact with others before realizing her costume is that of Queen Elizabeth the 1st. He snorts and rolls his eyes. ‘Of course, she would think she was the Queen,’ he thinks. He shakes his head and grins. ‘Time to knock her crown to the side.”

Cautiously, he approaches her, stopping randomly to let someone cross in front of him. After several minutes, he stands next to her. He reaches out to play with the beads hanging from her neck and over her bodice. His hand freezes in mid-air as a familiar voice crosses the room.

“Chief Strauss,” Hotch calls out from the doorway.

She turns to him and gives Hotch a courtly nod.

He approaches and smiles. “I’m sorry, I can’t seem to find Dave anywhere. Even Penelope has no idea where he is.”

She sighs and waves a delicate paper fan in front of her face. “Typical. I would say he was off having his way with one of the assistants, however, since he started dating Miss Garcia, he has changed his ways.”

“Yes, he has,” Hotch agrees.

“He’s still a dog though,” Strauss mutters.

“Do you want to talk to me? Or wait until we find Dave?”

She continues to wave the fan as she glances around the room. “I suppose you can tell him. Just wanted to pass on that the Director was very impressed with the paper the two of you submitted in regards to training policies at the Academy. He said they are reviewing your suggestions and that the majority of them will most likely be implemented.”

Hotch smiles wider and nods. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll let Dave know. He was the main writer of the paper and had the most suggestions for improving the policies.”

She nods and smiles reluctantly. “It’s too bad it took him so long to realize that he needs to follow those rules as well.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the ladies’ room,” she tells him.

Hotch steps back and allows her to pass. Dave follows along behind her.

They climb the stairs and head down the hallway, passing several closed doors before entering a large restroom. Strauss pushes the door closed behind her. Dave blocks the door from closing with his foot. It bounces back into the wall. He steps inside quickly and moves to the side.

Erin spins around, looks at the door then glances out into the hallway. She steps back and closes the door firmly.

“That was weird,” she mutters.

Dave reaches over and rattles the doorknob.

“It’s occupied,” Erin calls out as she struggles to lift the front of her costume.

He rattles the knob again.

Erin sighs in agitation. She crosses the room and grabs the knob turning it and opening the door to an empty hallway. She stares at the knob for a moment before slowly closing the door. This time she shuts it firmly then turns the lock, which she had forgotten before. She walks backwards towards the toilet, keeping her eyes on the doorknob.

She fumbles with her costume again.

Dave bangs on the door.

Erin jumps and yelps. “Ahh!”

She collects herself. “Be out in a minute.”

Dave bangs on the door again.

“I said I will be out in a minute,” she yells.

Dave grins maliciously. He turns on the faucet in the sink.

Erin shrieks. She runs across the room and grabs the doorknob. It won’t budge.

Dave ups the stakes by flushing the toilet then as Erin unlocks the door, he turns off the light. She screams again as she opens the door and races towards the stairs.

Dave exits the room and hurries the other direction as several footsteps run up the stairs.

***

Penelope pulls the wet material of the curtain away from her chest. The cloth reeked of alcohol and mustiness as the curtains were very old and even though she’d had them professionally cleaned, there were some things that couldn’t be erased.

“Maybe you should take the curtain off,” JJ suggests.

Penelope gives her a pained look. “I’m not wearing appropriate clothing underneath.

“I’m sure we can find something to cover you up,” Emily says reassuringly. “At least you can let that dry.”

Penelope opens her mouth to respond when a shriek rents the air from upstairs. The team runs in that direction with Reid and Penelope bringing up the rear.

They run into Erin Strauss at the top of the stairs.

“The bathroom,” Erin shrieks. “There’s something wrong with the bathroom.”

Penelope stands on the stairs behind Hotch, Morgan and the others, wide-eyed as she listens to Strauss recount what transpired in the bathroom. She has to find Dave before he does something they’ll both regret. She reaches out to her left and grabs Reid’s hand.

“I need to talk to you,” she says lowly.

Reid frowns. “Okay.”

“Not here,” she whispers. She turns around to see the rest of the FBI party-goers crowded at the bottom of the stairs. “Or here works.”

The rest of the team head to the bathroom leaving Penelope and Reid alone. Or as alone as they could be in a house full of FBI agents.

“What’s going on,” Reid asks.

“Remember when we were in New Orleans and you and I went to Calypso’s?”

He nods.

“Remember that potion she sold me?”

“Of course, I do,” he chuckles. After a moment, his smile turns to a frown. “You didn’t?”

She tries to smile at him, but it looks painful. “I did.”

“What happened?”

“He disappeared. Like, poof. Except I could hear him. I couldn’t see him, except for his hat floating in the air,” she explains.

“That makes sense why you’re wearing it now,” he replies.

“We have to find him,” she hisses.

“We do? Why?”

“This,” she says as she waves her hand in the direction of the bathroom.

“You think Dave did that,” he questions.

She gives him a look of disbelief. “Who else would torture Strauss like that?”

He stares at the bathroom and slowly nods.

“Also, the candles downstairs, messing with Derek?”

“I get it,” he answers. “How are we going to find an invisible man?”

“What invisible man,” Emily asks.

Reid and Penelope jump as neither of them were aware of Emily’s approach. They stare at her, Penelope swallows hard before she and Reid look to each other in unison.

“We are going to need some help with this one,” Reid tells her.

Penelope groans. “I know.”

“Excuse me,” a strong female voice says from behind Emily.

The trio turns to see Erin Strauss standing there. She appears calmer though her eyes are a little wild.

Penelope swallows again, knowing this was it she was about to lose her job.

“Ma’am,” Emily says.

“I’d like to pass by,” Strauss replies. “You three are blocking the stairs.”

“Sorry,” Emily half-smiles as she steps to the side.

Penelope and Reid move to the right and cling to the wall as Strauss passes by. Penelope lets out the breath of air she hadn’t realized she was holding in.

“You were saying something about an invisible man,” Emily prompts.

Penelope hangs her head. “Let’s join the rest of the team.”

***

Dave makes his way down the back stairs of the house. He hadn’t had this much fun in ages. He spies Strauss walking into the small half-bath off the kitchen. He considers shaking things up again, then sees the Director leaning against the wall across from the room. Best not to push his luck, he thinks. A drink would be nice though.

He crosses the room, brushing past several people. The place was getting a lot more crowded and it was harder for him to keep his distance from others. He arrives at the makeshift bar and contemplates his next move. He could slip back behind the counter and make his own drink. Or he could grab one off the bar.

He decides to wait for the right opportunity. He slips behind the bar and jumps up onto an empty space on the back bar.

***

“You did what,” Hotch asks incredulously.

Penelope bites her lip. The team stares at her in horror and disbelief as they stand crammed into the bathroom.

Morgan chuckles and shakes his head. “Baby Girl, please tell me you and Dave concocted this as a prank. There is no way I am believing this story.”

“It’s true,” Reid cuts in. “I was at Calypso’s. It was a very strange experience.”

Hotch closes his eyes for a moment. “So, Dave is invisible and sneaking around the house pulling pranks on people?”

Penelope nods.

“And you can’t see him either,” JJ asks for clarification.

“I can hear him though,” Penelope states. “When he wants to talk to me.”

“Wait, why don’t you just reverse the spell,” Morgan asks.

“Reverse the spell,” Penelope reiterates.

“You do have a way to turn him visible again,” Hotch nudges gently.

Penelope looks at Reid. “I don’t remember a cure.”

Reid shakes his head. “She never said how to reverse it.”

“Okay,” Hotch says. “Penelope, you need to contact this Calypso and find out what the cure is. The rest of us need to split up and see if we can determine where Dave is.”

“How do we do that,” Emily asks.

“Watch the behavior of the crowd,” Hotch suggests. “See if anyone is acting strangely, like Derek did earlier or JJ.”

“You think that was Dave,” Morgan cuts in.

The rest of the team laughs.

“Of course, it was,” Morgan concedes.

“Alright, spread out,” Hotch orders. “If you think you’ve found him, stay observant and text the rest of the team. We’ll converge on him and see if we can get a hand on him.”

“Wait,” Penelope cries. “Can someone help me out of this curtain rod, please?”

***

Free of the confines of her costume, Penelope searches for a quiet place to make her phone call. She should have asked about how to reverse the potion when she bought it, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that. At the end of the hallway, she finds an unlocked room. She steps inside and flips on the lights, but they don’t turn on.

She opens her phone and turns on the light feature. The room is clean and furnished with a bed, a dresser, a side table and a chair. On top of the dresser is an oil lamp and a box of matches. She fumbles with the matches for a moment before lighting the wick and replacing the glass top. She adjusts the flame before turning around and really looking at the room.

It was comfortable and looked like a room she would live in. She settles on the chair and begins a search on her phone to find the number for Calypso’s.

***

Dave continues to watch the crowd from his perch on the back bar. Through the crowd, he spots Aaron enter the room. He watches as the younger man stops at the entrance and surveys the crowd. Dave tilts his head to the side, eyes on the Unit Chief. Aaron was in Profiler mode which meant Penelope told them he was invisible. Things were going to get interesting.

Dave slides off the bar and squeezes through the crowd. The crowd shifts and he is suddenly squished between two women.

“What the hell,” one of them curses.

The crowd shifts again and he quickly moves on before either woman can think to reach for him again. He steps into the hallway and presses himself against the wall as several more people walk past.

‘How many people are at this party,’ he wonders. From his point of view, he spies Derek on the staircase. He’s one-hundred percent certain that Derek is itching to find him.

The younger man scans the room, suddenly he tenses, his eyes focus on an area across the room. Dave leans around the corner to see what Derek is looking at but sees nothing out of the ordinary. Dave looks back to Derek and sees him striding purposefully across the room. Dave moves from his position to the stairs where Derek had been standing.

He watches Derek stalk through the crowd then stop. Derek makes a motion with his hand to a woman standing in front of him. The woman moves to the side and Derek pounces, jumping in the air like a fox on a field mouse and landing face first on the floor.

Dave doubles over in laughter as people react to Derek. Most step backwards, giving the agent some space while a couple people move forward to see if he is alright. Dave shakes his head, wishing he had been able to record that moment. He turns and climbs the stairs to the second floor. He suddenly had the urge to pee.

Strolling through the open bathroom door, he quietly closes it behind him. He unzips his pants as he stands in front of the toilet. A stream of urine suddenly appears in the air and splashes into the toilet.

The door opens and Kevin Lynch takes a step in then stops. Dave stares at him.

“Oh sorry,” Kevin apologizes. “I didn’t see you sta…”

Dave watches as the man pales, steps back into the hallway and closes the door. He chuckles, finishes his business, flushes the toilet, and quickly washes his hands.

He steps into the hallway as Kevin appears at the top of the stairs dragging someone with him.

“How much have you had to drink,” Anderson asks.

“Not that much,” Kevin protests.

They stop and look into the open door of the bathroom. “I don’t see anything,” Anderson says.

“I swear, there was a stream of pee flying through the air and no one was there,” Kevin explains.

Anderson sighs and shakes his head. “Give me your keys. Obviously, you’ve had too much to drink.”

The two men head back down the stairs arguing about Kevin’s state of drunkenness. Dave follows them. At the base of the stairs he turns left, heading into the library.


	3. Chapter 3

Dave meanders through the light crowd in the library. It seems most of the people at the party were in the front room or the bar area. He spots a couple in the corner engaging in a very public display of affection. He grins as he recognizes one participant as Emily Prentiss. He wonders briefly who is in the Batman costume.

He scans the rest of the room and spots Doctor Spencer Reid nestled into an oversized chair with his nose buried in a book. Dave glances back at Prentiss, but realizes she is too occupied to notice anything else happening in the room. He slips into the corner behind the chair and peers at the book that has the young doctor’s attention.

The writing is in French, so Dave has no idea what the book is about. He reaches over the younger man and ruffles the top edge of the pages. Reid adjusts his grip on the book. Dave leans back and waits patiently.

After a few moments, Reid turns the page and relaxes his grip. Dave reaches over quickly and turns another page. Reid drops the book in his lap and yelps.

Dave leans down and says, “Boo!”

“Ahh,” Reid yelps again and pops out of the chair.

Dave slides out from behind the chair and steps around Reid as Emily rushes over.

“Reid! Are you okay,” she asks with concern. Batman follows close behind her. Dave recognizes Mick Rawson.

“Dave,” Reid asks cautiously.

Dave chuckles causing both profilers to jump and turn around. He steps away quietly.

“What has you two all jumpy,” Rawson asks clearly not in on the fact that Dave was invisible.

***

Penelope tosses her phone on the bed in frustration. She tried all her normal channels and still couldn’t locate a phone number for Calypso’s. She picks up the phone again and dials a number on speed dial. It’s answered before the second ring.

“How’s it going,” JJ asks.

“Horribly,” Penelope cries. “I can’t find a number for Calypso’s. I tried the operator and they said there’s no such place.”

“Really,” JJ replies. “That’s odd.”

“Is Will near you? Maybe he knows about this place.”

“Hold on. I’ll ask him,” JJ says.

Penelope listens as JJ asks the question.

“You sure,” JJ says, her words slightly muffled. A few seconds later she speaks clearly into the phone. “Will says there used to be a place called Calypso’s in the French Quarter…”

“Yes. Yes,” Penelope interrupts. “That’s the place. It wasn’t too far from the hotel.”

“Are you sure?” JJ questions. “Will says the place burned down about ten to fifteen years ago.”

“Ask Reid, he was there with me.”

***

Stepping into the doorway of the library, Dave stops as he sees JJ storming in his direction, phone to her ear. He looks around for an escape route.

“Penelope, you’ve got to hold it together,” JJ says calmly as she starts up the stairs. “We’re going to get through this. I’m on my way to you.”

‘Get through what?’ Dave wonders. Concerned about his girlfriend, he follows JJ up the stairs.

JJ bursts through a door at the end of the hallway. The door bounces off the wall and stops halfway closed. Dave slips inside. Penelope tucked into a ball on the bed cries violently. JJ sits next to her and begins rubbing her back.

“Shh,” JJ soothes. “It’s okay.”

Penelope draws a shaky breath before more tears come.

Hearing voices in the hallway, Dave slowly and quietly closes the door.

“Come on. Sit up,” JJ says persuasively. She pulls Penelope up into a sitting position and hands her a handkerchief. “Talk to me, what’s going on?”

The technical analyst wipes her face and nose. “I’m at such a loss,” she sniffles.

“About what,” JJ asks.

Penelope looks up at her friend with her lower lips trembling. “David.”

Dave nearly gasps aloud. He sidles closer to the two women.

“What about Dave,” JJ frowns.

“I feel like… like I’m just here to help him pass the time,” Penelope confesses. “When we first started dating, he was so attentive and did so many things to make me feel special. But, here lately, it’s like he has forgotten that I even exist until I remind him.”

“Not to make excuses, but we have been pretty busy lately,” JJ reminds her.

“Yeah,” Penelope nods. “We’ve all been busy. I’m running info for 3 different teams and doing my therapy groups, but I still make time and effort to spend time with him. To send him a quick text, share a meal with him. It feels like I’m doing all the work. It feels like…”

JJ rubs her shoulder. “Like what?”

“Like he doesn’t love me,” Penelope confesses through a new set of tears.

“That’s not true,” David says loudly causing both women to jump.

JJ yelps and jumps to her feet while Penelope turns to the sound of his voice.

“David,” Penelope questions.

Dave drops to his knees and places his right palm against her cheek. “I’m here, Kitten.”

She leans into his touch, reaches up and touches his wrist.

“This is so weird,” JJ mutters. Dave and Penelope look at her. “Penelope said you were invisible and the kid in me thinks, “wow”, but the adult in me is freaking out right now.”

“I can relate,” Dave chuckles. “My inner child won the battle and has been enjoying the experience.”

“We noticed,” Penelope growls.

He puts his other hand on Penelope’s knee and squeezes. “Until now. Penelope do you really think I don’t love you?”

She looks away from him.

“I’m going to go find Will,” JJ announces. She heads for the door. “Give you two a little privacy.”

“You can tell the team to stand down,” Dave replies. “I won’t be causing any more trouble. I’ll be with Penelope.”

JJ nods and leaves the room closing the door firmly behind her. Dave pulls away from Penelope.

“David,” Penelope says questioningly.

The lock on the door clicks. “Just making sure no one can walk in on us,” he tells her.

He slips back down to the floor in front of her and lays his hands over hers.

“Sweetheart, I love you more than anyone in the world. Including my Mother and that’s saying something,” he says softly.

She sniffles.

“I’m sorry, so, so sorry that I haven’t shown you or told you how I feel. l’m sorry I made you feel like I’ve forgotten you. I’m an asshole, but I should have known better. Please forgive me,” he asks.

She lifts and reaches out for him. Her hand brushes his chin. She trails her fingers over his features touching his goatee and his lips.

“I wish I could see you,” she whispers sadly.

“I wish you could to,” he agrees. “How do we fix it?”

He watches as her eyes cloud with tears again.

“I don’t know,” she cries.

“You don’t have a reversal potion or something,” he asks.

She shakes her head. “She never gave me one. And now, according to Will, the place I went to hasn’t existed for years.”

“What do you mean?”

“Will said the place burned down about ten years ago and was never rebuilt,” she sniffles again. “I tried to call it, but the operator said it doesn’t exist either.”

She starts crying again. Dave pulls her into his arms and kisses her temple. “It’s okay. We’ll figure this out. Maybe it just needs to wear off.”

“But this doesn’t make sense. If Calypso’s doesn’t exist, how did I get a potion? And why are you invisible?!”

He laughs once. “That’s definitely a question I don’t have an answer to.”

“What if this is permanent?”

He chuckles. “I guess it will give new meaning to the term ghostwriter.”

Frustrated, she shouts at him, “This isn’t funny, David.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

She snorts. “This must be a record for you – most apologies in a single day.”

He sighs. “It’s pretty close. With three marriages and divorces… let’s just say I’ve said it a lot. I mean it too, Penelope. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

She sniffles and nods. “I’m sorry too. I never should have done this to you.”

He tips her head up and kisses her. She wraps her arms around his neck and clings to him. Dave slips his hand inside her costume and begins fondling her breast. He breaks the kiss and nibbles his way down her neck.

“David,” she groans as she wriggles under his assault.

“Have you ever had sex with an invisible man before,” he asks.

She giggles. “Never wanted to until now.”

He pushes the curtain off her shoulders revealing her bra and panties, then eases her down on the bed. He gazes at her for a moment. “I wasn’t expecting this. I thought you’d have a t-shirt and shorts at least.”

“I did at first, but once I put the curtain on it was too hot,” she explains. “Are you mad?”

He shakes his head before remembering that she can’t see him. “No,” he replies huskily. “But had I known sooner, you wouldn’t have been searching for me all over the house. I’d have been all over you.”

Swiftly, he removes her undergarments. The bed shifts as he stands. He slips out of his jacket and drops it to the floor.

Penelope sits up and gasps. “I can see your jacket.”

Dave reaches down and picks it up then slips it back on.

“Eep! I can still see it,” she cries.

“Maybe the potion is wearing off,” Dave suggests.

“Maybe,” she agrees.

He takes the jacket off again, then his shirt, shoes, etc. Each piece of clothing becomes visible as he removes them. He, however, is still unseen. He touches her shoulders and eases her back onto the bed.

“Let me show you how much I love you,” he whispers.

“Okay,” she murmurs giving herself over to him.

They make gentle but passionate love. Dave pleasures her several times, causing her to dig her nails into the flesh of his shoulders. He finally succumbs to his own pleasure and collapses on top of her breathing heavily.

Penelope holds him close, one hand playing with his hair as the other rubs his back. She kisses his temple and smiles in satisfaction as she opens her eyes.

“Ahh,” she shrieks.

Dave jumps, and pushes his torso up. “What?”

“I can see you,” she whispers.

He looks down at his hands pressed into the mattress on both sides of her head. “Holy crap!”

They are both startled when a series of knocks bang on the door. A voice shouts through the closed and locked partition. “Fire! Everybody out!”

“What the hell,” Dave murmurs as he starts to stand.

“Oh my God,” Penelope cries.

Dave stands and pulls her upright. “It could be a prank, however, get dressed and let’s go find out.”

As they dress, they can hear more banging and people shouting to get out of the house. Dave opens the door to the hallway and spots smoke coming up the back stairwell. He grabs Penelope’s hand and leads her to the front stairs. The smoke is just starting to enter the front room on the first floor.

They rush out the door to the street where all the partygoers have gathered.

“Penelope, Dave,” a voice shouts over the crowd. They see the team in a huddle, all turned to look at them. Dave and Penelope join them. JJ, who had called to them pulls Penelope into a hug.

Dave looks at Hotch who is smirking. “Dave, it’s so nice to SEE you again.”

Dave grins. “It’s nice to be seen, believe it or not.”

***

Dave sits at his desk finishing a report he had been putting off all day. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Penelope peer around the corner from her office. The bullpen was dark as everyone else had left for home hours ago. He monitors her progress as she sneaks across the room being careful not to run into anything in the dark. He smirks and shakes his head.

Dave keeps his head down as Penelope steps through the door. He notices that she has removed her shoes, which explains why he didn’t hear the click-clack of her heels on the tile floor. He writes a few more lines, waiting for her to say something. He glances up and sees that she is unbuttoning her blouse. The lay of her full breasts tells him that she removed her bra before coming to his office. Part of him was curious to see how far she would undress, however, he knew that the janitorial crew would be arriving soon.

She begins to pull the ends of her blouse out of her skirt, her breasts swaying in and out of his filtered view.

“I don’t think you want to do that, sweetheart,” he says lowly.

She stops her movement and stares at him, a look of wonder on her face. She looks down at herself and back up.

“I can still see you,” he tells her. He looks up at her and smirks. “I’m tempted to let you continue but the janitors will be here soon.”

“How can you… I drank the…” she stammers.

“I poured it out the morning after the fiasco of a Halloween party,” he explains.

She frowns. “But the bottle was still half-full.”

“I replaced it with cough syrup,” he laughs.

She pouts and stomps her foot. “That’s not fair.”

He sets his pen down, gets up and comes around the desk to stand in front of her. He cups her face in his hands leans down and kisses her softly. His hands trail down the edges of her blouse, feathering over her full breasts. He takes one in each hand gently kneading, teasing her nipples.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispers. “And I am so tempted to take you right here.”

“Yes,” she moans as she leans into him.

The lights in the bullpen flicker on, flooding the room with light. Several voice float through the room as the janitors enter the area.

Dave releases Penelope’s breasts and pulls the sides of her shirt closed. She starts buttoning her blouse.

“I think we’re going to have to finish this at home, Kitten.”

She nods. “I’ll go get my things.”

“Meet you in the hallway,” he murmurs before pressing a hot kiss to her lips.

She pads quickly out of his office, down the walkway and through the briefing room to avoid the janitors. Dave watches her through the window a smile on his lips. She was crazy and he loved her with all his heart.

finis

Happy Halloween


End file.
